Rubber mat.



No. 839,834. PATENTED JAN. 1, 1907.

R. K. GRAY.

RUBBER MAT.

APPLICATION FILED FEB. 12. 1906.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE ROBERT KAY GRAY, OF LONDON, ENGLAND.

RUBBER MAT.

No. ssasaa.

Specification of Letters Patent.

- Patented Jan. 1, 1907.

Application filed February 12, 1906. Serial No. 300,750.

According to this invention sheet-rubber is produced with parallel ribs thereon either straight, concentric, or'otherwise, and two such sheets are placed face to face with the ribs on one sheet forming an angle, preferably a right angle, to the ribs on the other sheet. Theedges of the two sheets are now united in some convenient manner, so as to form an air-tight join. The resulting mat combines the advantages of two ribbed mats, with the addition that the air trapped between the surfaces of the two ribbed sheets forms an additional cushion andgives increased advanta es.

The ribs may e of any convenient crosssection either with rounded, fiat, or other edges, as may be best suited to the wearing of the ribs on the two sheets when face to face. The two sheets are referabl only united round their edges; ut, if esired, they may be connected at suitableintervals throughout their meeting faces, or at the places where the crossing ribs touch each other some suitable cement may be a plled.

' In order to confine the air, in lace of aving large sheetssmall sheets com ined as above described may be made up as tiles and these tiles arranged in a pattern or, as found convenient, upon some backing substance, either rubber or other material. In some cases the tiles may belaid separately on an existing flooring. It will be appreciated that each tile thus made u comprises the two sheets face to face wit then-ribs crossing each other and the edges united with an air-tight join. Thus each tile is a separate air-cushion. The tiles may have their adjacent ed es connected together, if desired.

referably the entrapped air is under atmospheric pressure; but, if desired, an increased pressure may be used, the mat being permanently sealed up after the air has been pumped in or an inflating-valve being provide It will be appreciated that .a mat constructed in; accordance with this invention combines the advantages of the yielding nature of the ribsas, for example, where these are of tapered cross-section with the cushioning effect of the trapped air.

The accompanying drawing is a perspective view showing,"by wa of example, one construction of mat accor ing to this invention, portions of the figure being broken away or the sake of clearness. In the drawing, A is a sheet'of rubber formed with ribs A upon one surface, and B is a similar sheet having ribs B. These two sheets are placed one upon the other, so that the ribbed surfaces are together, the ribs A lying upon the ribs B, which they cross in the example shown at substantially right angles. At the edges of the sheet A a space A is. left free from the ribs A, and a similar s ace B is left at the edges of the sheet B. etween these two plain surfaces A and B a fillet C is placed and cemented thereto in any convenient wa so as to .form an air-tight joint all round t e mat. The spaces A formed between the ribbed surfaces arethus closed and, if desired, may be inflated in any con-.

venient way.

It is to be understood that this construction is given purely by way of example and that the sheets of which the mat is composed may be made in any preferred way so far as the sha e of the ribs and other constructional details are concerned. Further, it may obviously be convenient in some cases to form the fillet C as a beading integral with one of the sheets; but the air-tight joint between the two sheets may be made in any suitable manner.

Although in the construction illustrated the upper surface of the mat is shown as plain, yet it is to be understood that any corrugation, beading, patte'rn,'or the like may be made thereon to give a gri when the mat is trodden u on or for any 0t er purpose.

It will fie appreciated that though the invention is particularly above referred to as being applicable to mats, yet it' can be emloyed for other pur oses where sound is to he deadened or a yie ding face required to be given to any surface.

What I claim as my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is 1. A rubber mat comprising two sheets, each ribbed on one side only, placed one on the other with the ribs on the upper sheet crossing those on the lower sheet so as to form communicating air-channels throughout the space inclosed between the two sheets.

2. .A rubber mat comprising two sheets, each ribbed on one side only, placed one on the other with the ribs on the upper sheet ssasae crossing those on the lower sheet so as to form communicating air-channels throughout the space inclosed between the two 15 sheets which are united at their edges by an air-tight joint;

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in the presence of two subscribing Witnesses.

ROBERT KAY GRAY;

Witnesses:

E. CALLIs, G. F. WARREN. 

